Potentate or Pyromaniac?

Series on Daniel

II. The Conflict

B. Victory of the Faithful

1. Potentate or Pyromaniac? Text: Daniel 3

Title: Potentate or Pyromaniac?

Introduction

Chapters 2 and 7, written in Aramaic are describing the conflict of faith. 2 and 7 as we have seen give us the course of this conflict down through the ages. Chapters 3 and 6 also have a common theme. they describe this conflict in a more immediate way as those who believe, Daniel and his friends, are tested and prove victorious. The setting of this struggle is a test of true religion versus false and particularly in worship. In chapter 3 the issue is whether they will bow down to the image Nebuchadnezzar has made and in chapter 6 whether they will continue to pray to the living God or only to Nebuchadnezzar who fancies himself a God. The way we’re going to examine this chapter today is to look at Nebuchadnezzar’s concept of worship and contrast it to the understanding of Daniel and his friends. Thus we observe five things. The king’s idea of worship was, is it flattering, fancy, favorable, fabulous, and functional? Daniel’s is quite different.

I Is It Flattering?

Can there be any doubt about this egomaniac king who quickly became a pyromaniac when his dominance was threatened. LIsten to the account in 3:1- 6, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” Daniel had just interpreted for him a dream in which his kingdom was the golden part of a great image which is destroyed by a stone which represents the kingdom of God. So what does the fool do? He immediately proceeds to build a great statue of gold, of incredible value on the plain of Dura and command everyone to worship it. The statue may have been a depiction of the king himself or perhaps something that would be construed as the national deity for Babylonia. In either case, since kings were frequently claiming to be descended from the gods, and acknowledged as such, we know who was getting the glory. Did i miss something? you’ve seen some of these pretty models on t.v. advertising hair care products. They say that it costs a lot but they don’t care, they are worth it! That’s Nebuchadnezzar. The corollary of this today is all the people who choose their church or worship because its self-fulfilling. They are worth it! Can you imagine John Wycliffe or John Hus saying, “This is really self-fulfilling,” as they were burned at the stake? The object of worship, as Hannaniah, Azariah and Mishael knew, is to glorify God. If it helps you, fine, if it doesn’t you are not that important. Glorify God.

II Is It Fancy?

Here I think of all the people who choose worship because of its fanfare and embellishments. That’s Nebuchadnezzar. Look at the size of the image, the people he invited, and the musical trappings of the dedication as we see in verses 4-7, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. It may be nice to have a big crowd and impressive music but that does not constitute worship. Worship is a transaction of faith and obedience between the soul and God. Daniel’s friends knew this. Instead of asking if the worship is entertaining, people should be asking does it lead me to obey and is it glorifying to God. Worship in these United States often encourages the pretentious narcissism of people who are more concerned with appearance than substance. I do remember the story of the woman who called the National Cathedral in Washington D. C. asking whether the President would be in attendance that Sunday. The Pastor happened to answer the phone and he politely replied, “Madam, I do not know whether the President will be in attendance this Sunday, but we expect God to be there and we hope that will be sufficient incentive for people to attend.”

III Is It Favorable?

Now here is another question people consider when worshipping God. Is it popular and is everybody doing it. Clearly in verses 7-15 almost everybody is doing it, except for those who know and understand what it means to genuinely worship the true and living God. Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews.They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Is it true says the king? It can’t be true thinks Nebuchadnezzar. Everybody’s bowing to my image. Everybody is flocking to the big church. How can you buck the tide? This is the thing to do. He can’t believe they’d be so foolish. How can they choose the little synagogue with its simple chants and small congregation and plain worship? I will tell you how. They know that God does not put a premium on being big and successful or on being small and insignificant. There is a place for both in his plan and neither has anything to do with the reality of worshipping the true and living God. But, many people will flock to where the action is because others are doing it, and they will not ask whether it is pleasing to God or if it produces the glorification of God in my life. it’s just, the thing to do. The thing to do on this particular day in Babylonia was to bow down to the image. Although it should not be so, unfortunately, such a decision for us is inconsequential, but for Daniel’s friends it was life threatening. It was that way for early Christians in the Roman empire, and it is that way for Christians today in China and other places of oppression when they refuse to bow to the political state’s idols.

IV Is It Fabulous?

“What god will be able to deliver you?” asks Nebuchadnezzar Did you know that there are church growth theorists today who are saying the way for the church to expand is through the miraculous. if there aren’t miracles they exclaim the kingdom will not go forward, so they look always to the fabulous. They are heedless to the fact that even in Elijah’s day the Lord was not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in a quiet whisper. As we read on in the story in verses 16-27 we see the attitude of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, Then the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. The Hebrew children understand that God is not found just in the miraculous. Whether there is a miracle or not they will worship the Lord. There are people who go to church and think nothing has happened unless they see some kind of sign. It takes some kind of sensational marvel for them to believe they are worshipping the true God, However there is a parable in Luke 16 where a deceased man in hell asks for a miracle. He wants a messenger to go and warn his family. God tells him that if they do not believe Moses and the prophets, they will not believe through a miracle either. Jesus did many miracles and still many of His own people would not believe. Here in this account Nebuchadnezzar is mightily affected by the miraculous deliverance of the friends of Daniel in verses 28-30, Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. But in chapter 4 he is warned in dream that he will have to be further humiliated by wandering like an wild animal before he acknowledges in his heart that God in heaven is the real ruler. It doesn’t look like the miracles did much good does it? Because the fabulous focuses attention on us rather than God it does not succeed in convincing us. We are to worship as did the Hebrew children whether he delivers or not. Truly blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

V Is It Functional?

The last part of chapter 3 also focuses on the political expediency of the situation. Is it functional? Is it fortuitous? Does it have a Future? Nebuchadnezzar is riding the wave of the future in making his declaration. He is insincere. What matters to him is that it works. Many people have fallen into that pit when it comes to worshipping God. They don’t want to know if it’s true, or if its right, only if it works. So they pervert and destroy the pure worship of the Lord  because it is practical. Practical is what pleases men rather than God. Thus we have a multitude of churches where the whole worship is planned around what the people like. However, as wise men have observed in the act of Christian worship it is not the congregation that is the audience. God is the audience and the only thing that matters is what pleases Him. That is why are we here, and why we come to worship. it may not be flattering, or fancy, or favorable or fabulous, or functional, but it is a true act of homage to the sovereign God.

Conclusion

We come here to worship because God is here and demands we worship Him as He has prescribed, and because Jesus the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us. I cannot help but think how the Christian Church started with the cross of Calvary. It isn’t flattering, fancy, favorable, or fabulous, and it surely isn’t practical from the world’s point of view. Paul says the preaching of the cross is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews. That doesn’t leave anybody to whom it is attractive. True worship has to do with my life being purchased at the cross and belonging to God. This is to be shown in my praise and in my performance, In my adoration and my actions. That is worship that glorifies God, where the stumbling block and foolishness of the cross is the heart of it.